Read Numbers 1:1-54
The Book of Numbers meets up with the Israelites as they are about to move the Tabernacle of God’s presence. They have been settled near Mt. Sinai for a year or so after their departure from Egypt. You’ll recall from the book of Exodus how God’s miraculous rescue led Moses and his Israelites to safety.
The stories of God’s interventions will continue because God desires communion with his people. In today’s reading, God has commanded the first census be taken. It was apparently important to have a count of those men at the appropriate age to be warriors. God knew conquests would take place as his chosen people entered the Promised Land.
I was impressed by the organizational skills it would take to execute such a command from God. That was a lot of people to count, and women and children were exempt from this first census. Thankfully God had given Moses the instructions he would need to get it done.
Did you notice how big that number was for all the tribes put together? If you add in those not counted, the number of Israelites around the Tabernacle would have been close to two million. That doesn’t sound feasible to me! In checking a trusted source, “The Layman’s Bible Commentary on Leviticus and Numbers” by James L. Mays, I found this observation has been a great controversy over the years.
The word translated to mean “thousand” had another meaning suggesting a military unit used in early Israel. Since that word had fallen out of use, the translators knew only the word “thousand.” According to this possible meaning, the total number of fighting men would have been about 5,550 men of fighting age, excluding the Levites who were set aside for their own purpose. It’s a lot easier to picture between ten and twenty thousand people living near the Tabernacle first receiving God’s laws.
No matter the actual number, what is the message for us today? In sweeping generality, I note several things. (1) God is organized. (2) God wanted to be intentional about preparing for war. (3) The Tabernacle required special handling. (4) The people were obedient.
God had a plan, and he knew what preparations would help his people succeed. We’ll see as the story plays out, whether it’s later in the book of Numbers or in the other historical books of the Bible. God’s people won’t always be obedient.
Do you ever look around our world today to find God’s intentionality? What would that look like? We’d have to look at what we have been commanded to do as followers of Christ. It comes back to one thing. Love. God wants us to love him with our whole heart, and love others as we love ourselves.
We’ve been equipped with certain skills and gifts that help us in that assignment. We call those spiritual gifts designed for us to enjoy and to help further the kingdom. There are still plenty of people who don’t have a relationship with God. That’s why we are being used by God to tell them, show them the love of God by our actions.
If God was taking a census today of those ready to fight the battle of faith, would you be in the line to be counted? Jesus calls us all, not just the men over twenty years old. Take time today to focus on obedience and God’s desire to be in community with you.
Let’s pray. Lord, create in me a clean heart and prepare me for the adventures you have in store. I want to be ready. Forgive me for all the ways I stumble each day and fall short of your perfect will for my life. Help me do a better job of staying true and focused on you alone. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
